The Intermediate School girls are really enjoying Hawk Hurst's Artist in Residency program as part of their Winterim curriculum. Under Hawk's tutelage, the students will learn the cultural and historical background of the Native American flute. They will make a Native American style flute from river cane, mathematically calculating and mapping out the placement of the holes for their flute, burning the holes, and fashioning the rest of the instrument. They will decorate the instrument to their own personal satisfaction using prescribed techniques known to have been used on flutes several hundred years ago. They will also learn a traditional song and to create music playing their flutes. During this residency Hawk will display his collection of primitive flutes, horns, and wind instruments collected from various cultures all over the world.
Hurst's educational background includes a Masters of Science degree in Environmental Education from Lesley College and the Audubon Expedition Institute, as well as undergraduate degrees in Psychology and in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. He has served as the past President of the South Carolina Storytelling Network and has been a featured teller at numerous festivals across the country and abroad. He has co-directed both the Stories for Life (storytelling) Festival and the Piccolo Spoleto Children's Festival, held annually in Charleston, SC. He is a long-standing member of the North Carolina Storytelling Guild, and is on the active artist rosters of both the South Carolina Arts Commission and of Southern Artistry.